The Gentile's Attitude to the Jew and the Commandment of וְנִשְׁמַרְתֶּם מְאֹד לְנַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם

 The Gemara in Brachos 32B tells a story:

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: מַעֲשֶׂה בְּחָסִיד אֶחָד שֶׁהָיָה מִתְפַּלֵּל בַּדֶּרֶךְ. בָּא הֶגְמוֹן אֶחָד וְנָתַן לוֹ שָׁלוֹם, וְלֹא הֶחְזִיר לוֹ שָׁלוֹם. הִמְתִּין לוֹ עַד שֶׁסִּייֵּם תְּפִלָּתוֹ. לְאַחַר שֶׁסִּייֵּם תְּפִלָּתוֹ, אָמַר לוֹ: רֵיקָא, וַהֲלֹא כָּתוּב בְּתוֹרַתְכֶם ״רַק הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ וּשְׁמֹר נַפְשְׁךָ״, וּכְתִיב ״וְנִשְׁמַרְתֶּם מְאֹד לְנַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם״.  כְּשֶׁנָּתַתִּי לְךָ שָׁלוֹם לָמָּה לֹא הֶחְזַרְתָּ לִי שָׁלוֹם? אִם הָיִיתִי חוֹתֵךְ רֹאשְׁךָ בְּסַיִיף, מִי הָיָה תּוֹבֵעַ אֶת דָּמְךָ מִיָּדִי?!

There is a very interesting point in this story that should be highlighted. This happens a lot in the public arena but goes largely unnoticed. The non-Jewish הֶגְמוֹן tells the Jew:

וַהֲלֹא כָּתוּב בְּתוֹרַתְכֶם ״רַק הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ וּשְׁמֹר נַפְשְׁךָ״, וּכְתִיב ״וְנִשְׁמַרְתֶּם מְאֹד לְנַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם

He says; "You Mr. Jew, are not keeping your Torah properly, you are transgressing the Mitzvah of:

וְנִשְׁמַרְתֶּם מְאֹד לְנַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם"

It just seems like outsiders continuously obsess over Jews and their observance of this specific commandment. There are not many outsiders preaching to Jews how to put Tzitzis on correctly or how to shake their Lulav and Etrog. However, the commandment of  וְנִשְׁמַרְתֶּם מְאֹד לְנַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם is an outsiders obsession. 

Whenever there arises some kind of health or medical crisis the outsider becomes suddenly very knowledgeable on how the Jews should best observe this commandment of וְנִשְׁמַרְתֶּם and seem to become very vocal about it. 

What is also interesting this phenomenon doesn't seem to apply only to outsiders and Jews but within the Jewish community too. Many cultural outsiders within the Jewish community like to preach to the more cultural Jews (Jews that are more culturally Jewish and less culturally assimilated) on how they think that they should observe this commandment. Just a thought.